Combination gas and steam-power engine



G. W. F. BOYD.

COMBINATION GAS AND STEAM POWER ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, I9I8- RENEWED iii/(211920.

1,364,696. v Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET l- Wttfiesses GWF Boyd,

GHQ 0140,14

G. W. F. BOYD.

COMBINATION GAS AND STEAM POWER ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED 1UNE3, 191s. RENEWED MAY.22. 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

awoentoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

COMBINATION GAS AND STEAM-POWER ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

Application filed June 3, 1918, Serial 1\To. 237,958. Renewed May 22, 1920. Serial No. 383,545.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. F. BOYD, a citizen of the United States, residing at IVashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Combination Gas and Steam-Power Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to power engines.

The general object of the invention is the provision of what may be properly denominated a combined internal combustion and steam engine, of turbine type, in which the heat given off by the combustion of an explosive gas is utilized to generate the cooling water of the engine into steam and the steam thus generated is employed in company with and as an adjunct to the expanding products of combustion to act agalnst a rotor and thereby drive the shaft of the engine.

Incidental to the operation of my novel power plant or engine a material economy in water is attained inasmuch as the water is made use of to prevent undue heating of the engine and at the same time to furnish the steam for cooperation with the expanding products of combustion in the actuation of the engine.

To the attainment of the foregoing, the invention consists in the peculiar and advantageous power plant or engine hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings which are hereby made a part hereof: 1

Figure 1 is a longitudinal diametrical section of the power plant or engine constituting the best practical embodiment of my invention of which I am cognizant.

Fig. 2 is a detail view illustrative of a slight modification involving a plurality of induction ports for explosive mixture and a plurality of sparking plugs disposed adja cent to said ports.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the elements comprised in the rotor of the engine.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the fixed elements employed in alternate relation to the rotor elements and to serve the additional purpose of promoting the circulation of water in the casing.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken at right angles to a row of blades and artitions and parallel to the shaft about hal -way between the shaft and the ends of blades and showmg one of the nozzles leading from the chamber, 11, and the successive fixed and moving passages between the elements 7 and 8.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

Among other elements my novel power plant or engine comprises a casing 1 having a steam dome 2, and also having at 3 a pipe designed to be connected with an ordinary or any other suitable feed water injector (not illustrated). The said casing is closed to the atmosphere at all points; the closure at the right hand end in Fig. 1 being effected by a spider I, having an imperforate annular portion 4 suitably fixed to the casing l and also having foraminations 6 for the discharge of products of combustion and steam. The said foraminations 6 are shown in direct communication with the atmosphere though I would have it understood in this connection that a mufller (not shown) may be interposed between the said foraminations 6 and the atmosphere when deemed expedient by the manufacturer.

The shaft 5 extends from a point within the casing l and adjacent to the left hand end thereof through the right hand end of the casing.

The rotor of my novel plant or engine is made up of elements 7 curved in the direction of their width and suitably fixed to the shaft 5. Stationary elements 8 are arranged in alternate relation to the elements 7 and curved in the direction of their width, and hollow throughout their length and open at their outer ends as well as at their inner ends. The inner ends of the elements 8 are arranged in communication with hollow collars 8 which surround the shaft 5 and loosely receive the said shaft. At their outer ends the said elements 8 are joined to an inner shell 8 fixed in spaced relation to the casing 1, aS shown. The shell 8 merges at the right-hand end of the engine into the before described annular portion 4a"- of the spider 4. B virtue of the elements 8 being connected tirough hollow collars as described it will be manifest that the water is free to circulate in the casing 1 as the temperature of the water is raised.

This will be better understood when it is stated that the hollow elements 8 communicate at their inner ends with the interiors of equipped the collars 8*, and at their outer ends with the space between the shell 8 and the casing 1.

Arranged within the casing 1 and opposed to the left hand end element 8 is a dished plate 10 which serves in conjunction with the said element 8 to form an explosion chamber 11 in which is a central fixed bafiie plate 6 In Fig. 1 the said chamber 11 is with a single spark plug 12 and a single port 13, designed to be connected with a carbureter or any other suitable source of explosive mixture supply (not shown) while in Fig. 2 a plurality of sparking plugs 12 and induction ports 13 are provided. Manifestly the employment of one plug and one induction point as against a plurality of plugs and a plurality of ports will be controlled by the size of the plant or engine and the power the same is designed to develop.

Intermediate the steam dome 2 and the chamber 11 is a valved conduit 14 for conducting the steam into the chamber 11 where the steam will be commingled with the expanding products of combustion and used in company therewith in the actuation of the engine.

The valve 15 of said conduit M is a nonreturn valve arranged to open toward the chamber 11 and which prevents the exploded gases from blowing into the dome 2.

In the practical operation of my novel power plant or engine it will be manifest that the water entering the casing 1 through the conduit 3 will serve to prevent undue heating of the engine, and coincident with such utilization of the water the expandmg products of combustion will operate to give off heat and generate the water into steam which will collect in the dome 2. From the said dome 2 the steam will pass through the conduit 14 to the chamber 11 where it will be commingled with the expanding products of combustion, and will pass with such products of combustion lengthwise of the engine between the elements 8- and also between the blades of the rotor elements 7 and en route will exert pressure against the said elements 7 and thereby rotate the rotor including the shaft 5. It is to be understood, however, that there will be no commingling of steam and expanding gases until the steam attains the same pressure as the gases; also, that the combustion and expansion of gases will be continuous, and that the steam commingled with the gases will promote the combustion of the latter. From the right hand end of the rotor the products of combustion and the steam will escape through the opening 6 directly into the atmosphere or into a nufiler, as before suggested, which muffler is indirectly. connected with the atmosphere and is designed as its name imports to reduce the noise incidental to the operation of the plant or engine. Incidental to the operation of my novel plant or engine, the bafiie 6" serves to spread the products of combustion and in that way contributes to the commingling of the said products with the steam and the effective utilization of the commingled products of combustion and the steam to drive the rotor.

Manifestly the circulation of the Water through the hollow fixed elements 8, disposedin the path of the highly heated products of combustion commingled with steam will contribute materially to the generation of the water into steam.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is: y

1. In an engine, a hollow casing having a closed steam space and a steam dome and also having a discharge orifice at one end, means for supplying water to the steam space of the casing, a shaft disposed in the casing, rotor elements fixed to the shaft, hollow stationary elementsalternating with the rotor elements and communicating at their outer ends with said steam space, hollow collars communicating with the inner ends of the hollow stationary elements and loosely surrounding the shaft, a chamber disposed at the end of the casing remote from the discharge orifice and adjacent to the first transverse series of stationary elements, a conduit intermediate the steam dome and said chamber and having a nonreturn valve that opens toward the chamber, means for supplying explosive mixture to the chamber, and means for igniting the explosive mixture in the chamber.

2. The combination in an engine, of a casing, a shaft therein, a shell arranged in the casing and fixed to and spaced from the casing wall to form a steam space, hollow elements fixed to said shell and open at their outer ends, hollow collars that loosely surround the shaft and communicate with the inner ends of said hollow elements, rotor elements fixed to the shaft and arranged in alternate relation to the first named elements, a chamber opposed to the innermost stationary element, a conduit between the upper portion of the casing and said chamber and equipped with non-return means, means for supplying explosive mixture to said chamber, a ballie in the chamber and opposed to said supply means, and means for i niting the explosive mixture in the chamber.

3. An engine comprising a hollow casing having a closed steam space and also having a discharge orifice at one end, means for supplying water to said steam space of the casing, a shaft in the casing, rotor elements fixed to the shaft, hollow stationary elements arranged in transverse sets in alternation with the rotor elements and communicating at their outer ends with said steam space, hollow collars communicating with the inner ends of the hollow stationary elements and loosely surrounding the shaft, a chamber in the casing at the end thereof remote from said discharge orifice, a conduit intermediate the steam space and said chamber and having non-return means, means for supplying explosive mixture in the cham- 4. A combined internal combustion and steam engine of turbine type, comprising a casing having a closed steam space, said casing being open at one end, a rotor, stationary water containers communicating with the steam space and arranged in lapped relation with the rotor, means for conducting steam from the steam space to the end of the casing and equipped with non-return means, means for supplying explosive mixture to said end of the casing, and means for igniting said explosive mixture.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE W. F. BOYD. 

